


The Things We've Lost

by OkamiKimz



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Zombies, Apocalypse, Because yes, Cussing, Death, F/M, Heiji is main character, Romance, i put romance in the apocalypse, kaito and aoko come in later, minor shinran and kaiao, shinichi and ran are basically dating but wont admit it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-24
Updated: 2016-12-08
Packaged: 2018-08-17 00:41:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8123914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OkamiKimz/pseuds/OkamiKimz
Summary: If Heiji had known the apocalypse was coming, he would have done things differently. Unfortunately, life never goes the way we'd like it to.





	1. Introduction

A young man stood with his back flat against an old, crumbling wall. He was barely 20, with dark brown messy hair and a 5 o'clock shadow present upon his jaw. 

A lumbering figure was making its way toward him, and he found himself reaching into his pocket. His hand slowly closed around the grip of the dagger hidden there and he unconsciously swallowed nervously, gritting his teeth as he withdrew the blade. 

The creature came into view past the wall, and he had to stop himself from retching at the sight and _smell_ of the monster. 

Silently, he lurched forward and drove the dagger stiffly into its rotting head. A bead of sweat fell down his cheek as he drew the knife out and stabbed it quickly in again, grimacing at the spray of blood that covered his arms. 

He inhaled deeply, grateful the walker had been alone. He doubted he could take on many with merely his dagger; he'd never used a gun before, after all. Perhaps he should ask Kudo to teach him, when they had enough guns to go around. 

Pushing the weapon back into the confines of its sheath, he quickly surveyed his surroundings. Once he was certain he was reasonably safe, he let out a deep breath and slipped out of the building. 

He'd been lucky enough to scavenge some canned food— nothing exquisite, mostly beans. Honestly, he was terribly tired of eating beans. No matter how great at cooking the girls might be, with little to no electricity or supplies there wasn't much to be done. 

Most of the houses nearby their hideout had already been stripped clean, or else were absolutely infested and thus almost impossible to get into alive. He wasn't about to risk his life for a few cans, even if it stopped them going hungry for a day or two. 

He just wished he'd found more weapons. Kudo had a gun, at least; one of the only weapons he knew how to use aside from soccer balls, and he didn't imagine trying to decapitate a zombie with a soccer ball would prove all too useful. Whilst his dagger was proving useful enough, using a short-bladed weapon felt awkward. Kendo had been more his forte, and thus long weapons just felt far more comfortable. If he could only find a sword... 

Well, he would just have to hope the other boy had been more successful than he had. 

Really, they had been lucky, he supposed. At the time of the outbreak, Kudo and Ran had been visiting in Osaka. He didn't really want to imagine just how messed up Tokyo was. Ran had wanted to go back to Tokyo, to save her friends and family, to bring them to Osaka. But it just wasn't possible. They didn't have cars, and Kudo's morals wouldn't allow them to steal one. While Heiji had a motorcycle, they highly doubted it would be effective against the masses of zombies in Tokyo. 

She'd broken down for a week, after that. She wouldn't speak to anyone, not even Kazuha, no matter how hard they had tried. Eventually, she had accepted it and demanded they let her go out on raids. He'd been surprised when Kudo allowed it— well, after teaching her how to use a gun. 

As he neared the fort, he knocked on the makeshift gate with the back of his hand. "Yo. Lemme in." 

Kudo opened the gate for him and frowned as he spotted the few cans. "Well, it's better than nothing." He said dejectedly, letting him in and closing the gate. 

"Heiji!" 

He froze at the shrill voice and turned to it's direction. Kazuha swiftly walked over to him, determination set on her face. "Hey," he murmured, waiting for the rant that he knew was sure to follow. 

She crossed her arms, frowning. "Heiji, let me go out on raids. We need all the help we can get!" 

"No." He furrowed his brow and glared down at her before making his way to the table Kudo had spread his own findings upon. He placed the cans down, sighing. Kudo had found bottled water, and, of course, canned beans. 

He heard a _tap tap tap_ before Kazuha grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him back to look at her. "And why not? Ran-chan goes out, so don't ya _dare_ give me some spiel about protecting the women!" 

"Ya don't even know how to use weapons!" Heiji snapped, once again unable to maintain his cool. "Sure, yer trained in aikido, but good damn luck using that against a zombie!" 

"I could use a knife!" 

"Could ya?" He loomed over her, his eyes narrowed. "Could ya really stab someone? They still look human, ya know. Rotting, yes, but they are— were— human." 

Kazuha faltered for a moment. "I..." She paused before looking up at him again with a renewed fire burning in her eyes. "I could." 

"Let her, Hattori." Kudo walked up to them with Ran trailing behind him. "She's right. We _all_ need to be going out there. Sooner or later, she'll be face to face with one of them. Kill or be killed." 

Heiji shot him a glare. 

"I can take her out," Ran offered. "I was planning to look for supplies tomorrow, anyway." 

"… Fine. Kudo 'n' I will defend the camp, I guess. Maybe try and get the generator workin'." He didn't like this one bit. 

 

Heiji could hardly sleep that night. Every time he drifted off, he had nightmares of Kazuha coming back bitten— or worse. 

Groaning, he sat up in his bed and pressed his fingers to his temple. "Goddammit," he grumbled, looking across the room where Kazuha was fast asleep on her own bed. How did Kudo handle the stress of it? Letting his childhood friend out into the mess the world had become... Sure, the women were scary, but unfortunately fear didn't apply to the undead. 

Pulling back the covers, he silently ambled over to her. She looked so peaceful, too peaceful. He wanted to shelter the remaining innocence she clung to, and yet she herself wouldn't allow it. He couldn't understand why she would want to go out there. 

Kneeling down, he gently brushed her bangs away from her eyes. "Please," he whispered, "be safe tomorrow." 

Heiji stood back up and slowly exited the room, dragging himself outside. Dawn was breaking. Throwing himself down in a fold-up chair, he stared silently up at the sky. 

"Nice night." 

Heiji flinched and whipped around to see Kudo standing there, hands up in defense. "It's just me," he laughed quietly, pulling a chair up beside Heiji. 

"Is this how ya imagined the world would end?" Heiji asked gruffly. 

"The zombies were a surprise," Kudo replied, leaning back in his chair. "Never actually believed in them." 

"Neither." Heiji paused for a moment before scowling at the other man. "Screw ya, by the way." 

"Oh?" 

"About Kazuha," he muttered, "I can't believe ya agree she should be out there." 

"We do need the help." Kudo reminded him, shrugging. "Besides, you know she'll break out and go on her own if you don't let her." 

Heiji grunted irritably, determined not to admit the former detective was right. _Not like he needs anything more to stoke his ego,_ Heiji thought bitterly. 

They sat in mutual silence for a long while before the girls got up. 

"Mornin'," Kazuha yawned sleepily, stretching up lazily. Heiji stared at her in silence, looking fiercely away as she set her sight on him. 

"Morning," he finally replied flatly, refusing to look at her. 

She gave a deep sigh and walked over to him, giving Kudo a short glance. Immediately, Kudo stood up, murmuring something about checking on Ran and quickly left the other two alone. 

"Are ya still mad?" 

"Mad's not the right word." Heiji replied, exasperated. "I can't believe ya!" He rounded on her, creases beyond his age lining his forehead. 

Her hands found her hips. "What did ya expect?!" She growled, bending down before him and jutting her head out until their noses were almost touching. "Every day ya go out, and I'm expected to just sit around and pray y'all come back!" 

Heiji gritted his teeth. "So ya think it's better to risk yer damn life?!" It was a losing argument, he knew. 

"Ya couldn't expect to shield me forever!" She drew back and shook her head at him, about to walk off to find Ran. 

"Oi, wait." Heiji caught her by the arm, causing her to turn and look at him. He hesitantly pulled his dagger from his pocket, handing it to her. "Take it. 'S probably better than the other weapons we've got." Except the guns, of course, but ammo was limited and Kazuha didn't know how to aim. 

She paused before nodding and taking it. 

 

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" 

Heiji paced back and forth along the walls of their refuge, anxiously casting a glance at the gate every time he heard a slight noise. 

"Calm down, Hattori. They haven't been gone _that_ long." Kudo snorted from behind him. 

"It's been three hours!" Heiji hissed, shoving his hands in his pockets. "They should be back by now! I should go look for them," he made for the gate, but Kudo blocked him. 

"You should not." Shinichi argued. "You gave Kazuha your dagger, remember? What are you going to do? Punch the zombies?" 

Heiji muttered a few choice curses before hanging his head in defeat. "I'll kill ya myself if she doesn't come back." 

Kudo smirked, noticing he didn't bother correcting 'she' to 'they'. "If they don't come back, it'd be more of an assisted suicide. Less jail-time for that." 

"Ya mean no jail-time," Heiji corrected, "even if we got rescued, ain't like they'd lock me up for killing someone in the apocalypse." 

"Point." Kudo laughed. 

It was a strange time, indeed, when two detectives could laugh about murder without consequence. 

"Now, get over here and help me. I can't get this thing working for the life of me." Heiji obediently turned and knelt down beside Kudo, stifling a laugh as the once-great detective of the East fumbled with the generator, his hands covered with grease despite the minimal progress he had made. 

"Here," Heiji elbowed Kudo in the side, knocking him away. "I'll do it." He was more experienced in this sort of thing, anyway. He'd had to deal with issues with his motorcycle multiple times; he was no mechanic, of course, but he knew a fair deal. 

Besides, he'd used generators before. Fixed them a few times when the power had gone out, since Kazuha wasn't too fond of being in the dark. Part of why they shared a room was to make her feel more comfortable. The other part, although he'd never admit it, was because _he_ felt better being able to wake up and see her still safely asleep— a welcomed contrast to his nightmares. 

Kudo shrugged. "Alright, I'll check the perimeter. If you hadn't done enough of that with your pacing," he chuckled, walking away before Heiji could make a snarky comment back. 

… So maybe this generator was more irritating than he'd thought. Maybe, just maybe, he was understanding why Kudo was getting nowhere with it. At least it was taking his mind off the girls, though. 

"Oh, c'mon! Ya should be working!" He slammed the panel shut, stood up angrily and kicked it. 

He yelped in shock at the _thrum_ that suddenly sounded from the generator, and blinked meekly down at it. 

Kudo stood a few feet away, stunned. "Well, what do you know?" He spoke after a moment. "Your temper was actually good for something." 

Heiji was tempted to throw the generator at him. 

"Sh-Shinichi?" A nervous, shaky voice called out from the other side of the gate, snapping them out of their pre-bickering. Heiji opened the gate before Kudo even had time to respond to the voice. 

Ran stepped in, pulling a silent Kazuha behind her. Kazuha was covered in blood, shaking slightly as she trailed behind the other woman. 

"Ran," Kudo murmured, pulling her into a hug. "What happened?" 

Ran gave a weak smile at the gesture before gently pulling back. She cast a nervous glance to Kazuha. "We... met another survivor." 

Heiji's eyes flashed dangerously as he took in Ran's words. "What happened?" He demanded. "Why are ya covered in blood, Kazuha? Did they hurt ya?" He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her slightly, masking his worry with anger. If she'd been hurt— if that was her blood— whoever did this to her would be sorry. 

"Heiji..." Her eyes were dull as she shivered, pulling the dagger from her pocket and dropping it to the ground beside her. Shinichi flinched visibly at the implication, but Heiji didn't quite understand _why_. Had a walker killed the survivor? 

He looked down at the weapon and froze as he noticed the amount of blood on it. So she'd had her first kill. "Kazuha... it's okay, they're not human." 

"Ya don't understand," Kazuha sobbed, wincing as she looked down at her bloodstained hands. "I didn't kill one of _them_... I killed a man." She tightly shut her eyes, silent tears falling down her face. She fell to her knees, covering her face with her hands. 

Heiji kneeled down in front of her. "What happened?" He asked softly, gently trying to pry her arms away, but to no avail. 

"He... he threatened to kill Ran-chan..." Kazuha whispered, rubbing at her eyes. "I managed to surprise him and struggled with him... b-but... then I..." She choked out a sob, unable to finish her sentence. 

Heiji wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him, stroking her back gently. "It's okay," he whispered gently. "Ya did what ya had to." He ran a hand through her hair— it still felt strange to see it cascading down her back. She hadn't tied it up for a long time. 

"I'm a murderer," she cried, fisting her hands in his shirt. He started, sighing and tightening his grip on her. 

"We all are." 

 

"Do ya think the world will ever go back to normal?" Kazuha asked, sitting on the side of her bed as she absently swung her legs. Usually, by this time she would be fast asleep, but since they finally had some electricity she had decided to stay up a bit later. 

"Dunno," Heiji replied, "at first, I thought so. Now, I'm not so sure..." He trailed off as he spoke, shrugging his shirt off. It had become a habit to sleep shirtless. He didn't have much in the way of clean clothes— kept his bed at least somewhat clean. Wasn't like they often got to shower frequently, either. Showering was a rare luxury. 

"H-Heiji?!" 

Oh, right. Kazuha normally went to bed before him, and he generally woke up before her. She hadn't known of his habit. 

Heiji turned around, smirking at the faint blush on her cheeks. "What?" He asked innocently, "I always sleep like this. It's not like ya haven't seen me shirtless before." 

He climbed onto her bed, playfully pushing her over. "I'm not gonna do nothin', don't worry," he chuckled at her bashful expression and made to stand back up, but was stopped by a hand on his wrist. 

She opened her mouth as if to speak before shutting it again. "Kazuha? What is it?" Heiji implored, sitting back down and leaning toward her. 

"Heiji..." She paused again, green eyes not quite meeting his. "Have ya... had to kill anyone?" 

Heiji sighed. He didn't want to go into this; he didn't want to make her feel worse. But he also couldn't lie to her. 

"… No," he admitted, "not a human, anyway." 

There it was. That regretful, sorrowful expression. He wished he knew how to comfort her. 

"Ya saved neechan, though." Heiji tried to remind her, his tone gentler than any she had heard from him before. She curled into herself, brows creased. 

"I know," she breathed out, shuddering. "But taking someone's life..." 

"… Kazuha..." 

Heiji stood up and purposefully walked to one of his bags, opened a zip and pulled something from the pocket. He glanced back to see her sitting upright, looking over at him curiously. 

"Close yer eyes." 

She frowned but obliged. He stepped toward her, climbing onto the bed behind her. He gently combed through her hair with his fingers, carefully pulling it up and tying it with the object he had grabbed from his bag. 

"Ya can open them now," he smiled. She blinked her eyes open, reaching a hand up. 

"It's a ribbon..." She looked at him, confused, before standing up. She slowly walked toward the wardrobe, opening the door and gazing into the mirror on the other side. A small smile lit up her face as she looked at the pale pink ribbon adorning her hair. 

She turned back and embraced Heiji in a tight hug. "Thank ya," she whispered, burying her face in his shoulder. 

"No worries," he grinned. He liked her best with her hair tied up; it was a lovely reminder of old days. It wasn't fair to think those days were forever lost to them. "We should probably get some sleep, though." 

"Stay with me?" Kazuha asked, a dusting of pink on her cheeks that perfectly matched the ribbon. "N-not like..." 

"It's fine, I know what ya mean," Heiji smirked, "sure." 

Heiji turned the light out and climbed into her bed, his chest pressed up against her back. He wrapped one arm around her waist, and she let out an indignant squeak as he pulled her closer. He knew he was being too protective, too possessive, for someone who was merely a childhood friend. 

But for just one night, just _one_ , he wanted her safe in his arms. For just one night, he would protect her from her haunting memories. 

For just one night, he would sleep peacefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been looking forward to writing this for so long!
> 
> This is a bit of a introduction chapter, so I didn't focus on the zombie hunting too much. I wanted to have Kazuha thrown into the fray, but my friend and I discussed how Heiji wouldn't be too keen on letting her go out. So I figured I'd focus mostly on their relationship here!
> 
> I can't say for certain when Kaito and Aoko will come in. Maybe next chapter. I have a lot planned for this, though. Of course, I added some shippy moments with Heiji and Kazuha, because I wanted to stress their relationship. They still argue heaps, but they're physically closer. Ah, but there wont be any intercourse! This is teen and up, after all.
> 
> Please let me know what you think! I'll try to have another chapter up within a few days ^^


	2. Strangers

A few days passed in relative peace— Kazuha had meekly refused scouting for a while, and no one blamed her. It had not occurred to them that their own kind could be just as dangerous as the zombies, if not more. 

On the third day, as Heiji was about to head out, she finally steeled her resolve. 

"Heiji," she said, "I wanna go with ya." 

This time, Heiji didn't try to stop her. 

"Fine." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He was utterly stressed— he'd been going out every day, each time venturing further and further out. His sleeping patterns were entirely irregular, and on more than one occasion he'd had to head back earlier due to exhaustion. 

This made him nervous, however. If Kazuha got into trouble again, would he be able to react quickly enough to save her? 

He'd considered mentioning this to her when she silenced him with a sharp look. 

"Yer not going alone. I've seen how tired ya look." She shook her head at him. "What if something happened? Ya couldn't defend yourself very well like that." 

Heiji pursed his lips thinly. She had a point, but he wasn't about to admit it. "Have ya got a knife?" He paused at the gate, shifting his weight onto his right leg. 

She nodded. "Yeah, got one off Kudo-kun." 

"A'ight." 

Heiji walked quickly, always making sure he was a few steps ahead of her just in case. He'd found a quiet area that didn't look entirely stripped, and the walkers were usually few and far between. 

Usually. 

"Fuckin' hell..." Heiji swore, holding his arm out to stop Kazuha from passing as he peered out from the corner of a building. "Keep down." 

"Undead?" Kazuha asked stiffly, keeping her voice low. 

"Mhm. It was pretty much deserted 'ere yesterday." He didn't take his eyes off the horde— thankfully, it wasn't completely overrun, but far more than two young adults with knives could handle. 

Heiji slowly took a step back from the edge. "Not gonna happen," he murmured, frowning discontentedly. "We'll 'ave to try somewhere else." 

Kazuha nodded and turned around, sneaking back towards the way they had came. She paused, glancing out into the street they had come down. "Ah... Heiji," she glanced back at him, worry evident on her face. 

"Hm?" He edged out past her and promptly swore under his breath. Another group of walkers were making their way down the road they had taken, effectively sealing off their means of escape. 

"W-what do we do?" Kazuha asked tentatively, unable to stop the stutter from creeping into her voice. 

"We could wait and hope they disperse... but they're all heading towards our location. It'll only take one o' them to alert them all." He reached up to his head, fingers grabbing at the air and causing him to freeze in surprise at his actions. 

Kazuha gave him a sympathetic smile. He'd lost his hat in one of the early scavenging trips, and despite that, every time he tried to strategize he would try to turn his hat to the front of his head. 

"I can distract them," he finally spoke, letting his hand fall back to his side. "I'll run out there. Reckon' I could outrun 'em. Then ya can escape when I make an opening." 

Kazuha's eyes widened and she grabbed him by the shoulders. "Are ya serious?!" Green eyes glared furiously up at him. "No way in hell! Yer exhausted, Heiji! Yer not gonna die for my sake," she hissed, infuriated he would even _suggest_ self-sacrifice. 

"So what? Ya want me to let us both die here?!" Heiji snarled, forcing himself to keep his voice hushed. "Fuck, we can't have this argument right now!" 

"You didn't let me fall at that cliff," Kazuha reminded him, eyes narrowed dangerously. 

Heiji glared silently at her, opening his mouth to give a retort when he was interrupted by a yell. 

"What was that?" Kazuha whispered, anxiously pressing her back up against the wall and glancing hurriedly around the room. 

"Probably another survivor." Heiji replied, grimacing as he noticed Kazuha tense at the word 'survivor'. "S'alright, Kazuha, don't reckon they were too near us." 

He glanced back out at the streets, breathing out a sigh of relief. The walkers were wandering towards the direction of the yell, leaving a clear path. "We're in luck, they're leaving!" He grabbed Kazuha's wrist and pulled her out from behind the wall. She was still stiff, but she silently allowed him to drag her along. 

Heiji paused as they were about to rush away, turning toward the house he had intended to raid. "… Kazuha, If I'm bein' stupid lemme know, but I reckon we oughta take what we can from there before we head back." 

"Yer an idiot anyway, Heiji." Finally, she gave a response. 

Heiji gave her a lopsided grin, a small piece of his old demeanor shining through. "Good." 

To their luck, the house had been mostly untouched. Heiji had grabbed as many canned goods as he could— "No beans, though. I'm _sick_ of beans," and Kazuha had managed to find an abandoned first-aid kit, stocked with bandages, disinfectant, and even some painkillers. 

"Thank god," she breathed, "I was getting worried we hadn't found any of these yet." Heiji cast her a guilty glance— truthfully, he had encountered a couple in the first few days, but had favored bringing home food. Back then, he hadn't known this was a long-term situation. 

They put their findings down on a table and started quickly checking the bedrooms, hopeful they might find something else of use. 

Heiji was in the middle of searching a room when Kazuha shrieked. 

"Kazuha!" Heiji yelped in shock, darting from the room he was in and sprinting to the next room over. She was standing frozen against a window, shaking with her hand clenched around a knife. A crawler— a zombie that dragged itself along the ground— was creeping toward her. 

Before she could react, he hurried forward and kicked the monster back as it neared Kazuha's leg. It let out a grotesque sound, something between a retching sound and a growl, before dragging itself toward Heiji, grabbing at his legs. 

He ripped his bloodied dagger from his pocket and lurched down, sinking the blade deep into the crawler's skull. It let out another snarl, the bony grip on his leg tightening and trying feebly to pull him within biting range. 

Heiji kicked at it's head in attempt to free himself, struggling to escape the rotting monster's grasp, when suddenly a second blade joined his wedged in the zombie's head. Once he was affirmed that it lay still, he looked wide-eyed up at Kazuha. 

She herself seemed shocked. Her eyebrows were raised and she shook with horror, her hand covering her mouth as she averted her eyes from the corpse. 

Heiji chose this moment to pull their weapons free, cringing at the sound the blades made as they tore back out through the mess of flesh and bone. 

Kazuha let out a choked sob. 

"Ya did what ya had to," Heiji assured her quietly, pulling his leg free and slowly standing up, approaching her. He couldn't blame her for her reaction— she was still tormented by her experience with the survivor. 

"Does it get any easier?" Kazuha asked, blinking at him with pained, teary eyes. 

"You grow numb to it." Heiji knew it wasn't much of a consolation. It still haunted him every night, no matter how well he handled it during his waking hours. 

 

When they finally returned to camp, Heiji froze when he heard an unfamiliar voice. 

"Please, help her," the voice, a man's voice, was saying. "Please, I'll leave if that's what you'd like, but help her!" 

It sounded almost like Kudo, but with a decidedly different tone. 

"… Kudo-kun?" Kazuha called out, confused. 

The gate opened to reveal Kudo and another man who could just about pass for his twin, if not for the decidedly messier hair. 

"Who the hell is this?" Heiji snapped, pulling Kazuha in behind him with clear distrust on his face as he glared at the stranger. 

"I'm Kaito Kuroba," the stranger answered, his voice strained as he switched his gaze between Heiji and Kudo. "The girl," he nodded to a place behind Kudo where Ran was sitting on the ground, holding up another stranger in her arms, "is Aoko Nakamori." The woman Ran held had her eyes tightly shut and beads of sweat collected on her forehead as she twisted in pain. 

Both the strangers were covered in blood and reeked of rot, and Heiji rounded on Kuroba. "Is she bitten? If either of you are..." He trailed off threateningly. 

"She's not." Kuroba held his gaze firmly. "Neither am I. This—" he gestured to his bloodstained shirt, "isn't our blood." 

"He came here carrying her on his back," Kudo explained, arms crossed thoughtfully. "Says the girl got sick whilst they were trying to find a safe place to stay here, and she's just been getting worse. They noticed this place when they were trying to hide from the walkers." 

Heiji snorted. "Why should we help out some stranger? For all we know, this is a ruse to steal our supplies." 

Kudo shrugged. "I said the same thing," he admitted, glancing back at Ran. "But she won't hear of it." 

Ran glared up at him. "She's _sick_ , Shinichi. You never would have turned your back on someone who needed help before— why start now?" 

"It was only days ago a survivor tried to kill _you_ , Ran." Kudo reminded her, though it was obvious he had no willingness to argue. 

Heiji, on the other hand... 

"Ain't our problem. There's plenty out there sufferin', what makes these guys different?" He sneered, staring down Kuroba. 

Kuroba looked desperately at Heiji. "I've got weapons," he offered, flinching as he noticed Heiji stiffen. "No, not with me! I stashed them away before I came here." He promised, nervously looking at Aoko. "Plus... I know a trick that might help you with the undead." 

Kudo rose an eyebrow. "A trick?" He inquired, tilting his head slightly. 

"I swear I'll tell you if you promise to look after Aoko." 

Kazuha and Ran exchanged a glance before Ran interjected. "She's staying here. At _least_ until she's better. Kuroba-kun, too." Her tone was sharp, indicating no room for further arguments. 

Kudo gave Kuroba an unsure stare before heaving a sigh. "Fine. You bring those weapons here, though. We could use more." 

"And if ya dare slip up just once, I'll throw ya to the horde myself." Heiji added with an intense glare. 

Kuroba gave a stiff nod, cautiously approaching Ran and Aoko. He gently took Aoko's hand and kissed the back of it, giving a smile. "I'll be back soon, Aoko," he promised before gently placing her arm back. "Thank you, Ran-san." 

With that, he turned and went back out the gate. "I'll be back in an hour or so," he said, taking one last glance at Aoko before leaving. 

"I really don't think this is a good idea." Heiji grumbled, crossing his arms as he shut the gate and started toward the table to put his supplies down. 

"Oh!" Kazuha spoke up suddenly, pulling out the medical kit she had found earlier. "Ran-chan, I found this!" Handing the red bag over, she knelt down next to the unconscious woman. "There's painkillers in there." 

Ran smiled. "Thank you, Kazuha-chan. I'll get some into her when she wakes up. For now, I think she just needs to rest." 

"She can have my bed," Kudo offered, pulling an arm around Aoko. Ran stood as well and held Aoko up from the other side, nodding. 

Heiji blinked, confused. "Then where'll you sleep?" 

Kudo and Ran both froze, a faint tint of red appearing on their cheeks. "I-I... I'll..." Kudo stuttered, looking at Heiji like a deer in the headlights. 

Kazuha smirked devilishly and Heiji fought to keep the grin off his face. "Forget it, just go." He chuckled— really, it wasn't all too surprising. 

Moments later, they were left alone. Kazuha smiled brightly. "Knew it." 

Heiji snickered quietly. "It's about time they got together." 

"It's been obvious they liked each other for _years_ ," Kazuha stepped over to him, shaking her head. "Honestly, what took them so long?" 

The irony in their words was not lost on them. 

It went unspoken— neither of them could speak out, afraid to shatter the walls they had built up in fear of losing their lifelong friendship. 

 

"He should be back by now." Heiji muttered, tapping his foot impatiently against the ground. 

"Kaito!" A light voice called out, and Heiji whipped around to see Aoko stumbling out from her room. "W-where's Kaito?" She cried, her eyes settling on him. Her legs shook and she panted heavily, the slight exertion feeling too much for her weakened state. 

"Settle down," Heiji replied nonchalantly, withdrawing his gaze from her. "Oi, Kudo! Take care of the girl, will ya?" 

Kudo looked over. "Ah, she's awake." He murmured before looking to Heiji, who was heading to the entrance of their base. "Where are you going?" 

"I'm gonna find that idiot 'n' bring him back. Tell Kazuha I'll be back soon." Heiji made to walk off before halting and turning around. "Girl, where was Kuroba stashing yer stuff?" 

Aoko blinked at him before frowning. "Ah... I-I think it was near a park..." 

"Ya don't know the name?" 

The woman shook her head slowly. "We're not local..." She replied. 

Heiji sighed. "Just tell me what ya remember." 

 

"From what she said, it's gotta be Nagai Park..." Heiji mumbled to himself hushedly, eyebrows knitted in annoyance that he even had to venture out just to try and save some guy's skin. 

… Well, if Kuroba was even still alive. 

Heiji partly hoped he was. That girl would probably be heartbroken if he never came back— although he was only assuming their relationship by the way Kuroba had acted. Regardless, he did _not_ want to have to go back and tell some poor woman her only companion was dead. 

The other part of him bitterly suggested it would be one less mouth to feed. 

Kazuha would be horrified if she knew he thought this way. But he couldn't help it. Life was a far cry from the days when he brought murderers to justice. Now, everyone was a killer. 

He moved quickly, slipping past walkers for the most part. Killing one usually alerted more unless they managed to kill it silently— or as close to silent as possible, anyway. 

Really, he was thankful he had kept so active as a teenager. All his past experiences with kendo helped a lot more than he had ever imagined they would, and rushing around everywhere solving cases had given him plenty of stamina. 

As he eventually reached the park, he hid at the edge of a house. His eyes wandered— Kuroba had probably chosen somewhere that already looked ransacked, figuring no one would bother an already stripped house. Probably a smallish house, too. 

His eyes wandered around in silent thought, narrowing down the possibilities. Of course, his deductions could be way off. It was always a possibility, but he hoped Kuroba was at least smart enough to choose a good location. 

Finally deciding on a house, Heiji snuck past a horde of walkers and quietly pulled the door open, slipping inside. 

"Kuroba?" He hissed out, keeping his voice low enough that the horde outside wouldn't hear. 

Silence. Heiji frowned— he was almost certain this would be the house. He slowly ventured further in, anxiously looking around in case any of the monsters remained inside. 

Most of the room doors were open. Only one remained shut, and judging by the contents of the other rooms, he figured it was likely the master bedroom. 

Closing his hand on the doorknob, he cautiously pushed it open enough to look through. Two walkers were clawing at a wardrobe door, vicious snarls coming from their throats as they struggled with the door violently. Behind them, by the wall, Heiji noticed a small pile covered by a shirt. He could see a thin, long object sticking out. 

A sword? If so, he definitely couldn't turn back and ignore it. 

He opened the door far enough to fit through, crouching down and creeping across the room. He only had the one dagger, and he didn't want to risk going for the pile first in case he was noticed— he'd have to kill one and hope he could yank out the knife quick enough before the other made a move. 

Unluckily for him, fate had different plans. 

The moment the blade sunk into the first zombie's head, the second zombie had already turned. _Shit!_ Heiji's mind raced and he let go of his dagger, jumping back. 

He tripped, stumbling backwards and falling down onto his ass. "Oh fuck," he cried out, crawling backward until his back pressed up against the end of the bed. The walker lunged at him erratically, it's mouth open wide with yellowed teeth showing through the expanse of rotting flesh. 

Heiji's eyes instinctively shut as the walker descended upon him, flinching away as he waited for the crunching pain he knew was sure to come...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is here! Took me a bit longer than anticipated to get this one out, sorry. c:
> 
> I accidentally wrote more than intended to, so I split it up. Which means I've already got a start on chapter 3! So hopefully I'll have that one finished and posted quicker ^_^
> 
> I've been surprised at the kudos this story has received! Thank you guys so much :D It got more than I expected with just the first chapter. I'm very grateful!
> 
> I hope you continue to enjoy reading <3


	3. Newcomers

The wardrobe door flung open suddenly and Kuroba leapt out with a yell, driving a knife into Heiji's assailant's skull. 

The walker fell forward limply onto Heiji, who hurriedly shoved it off in disgust before looking up at Kuroba. "Thanks." He said simply, standing back to his full height. 

"Don't mention it," Kuroba replied. "You saved _my_ ass, technically." 

Heiji shrugged. "Don't get used to it. How'd ya even get locked in there?" 

Kuroba sighed at the question. "They weren't originally here. Probably some survivors who snuck in whilst I was gone and... well, turned. Don't think they touched my stuff, though." He nodded toward the pile Heiji had noticed earlier. 

Heiji walked over to the pile, pulling back the shirt draped over it. "Shit, ya had some good stuff..." He trailed off, grabbing the sword he had noticed originally. "Where'd ya even get this?" 

"Let's just say I've come across a lot of... expensive items... in my time." Kuroba replied evasively. "Well, most of them aren't weapons, though. Just got lucky last time, I suppose." 

Heiji blinked in surprise at the ruby suspended in the hilt of the sword. "Huh." 

Kaito piled the rest of the items— a multi tool, along with a gun and a collection of ammo, and a few packets of instant noodles— into the shirt and hoisted it up. "You carry the sword, since you seem rather attached to it." 

Heiji grinned, giving the blade a few quick swings in the air. Ah, how he'd missed such a familiar weapon. He sheathed it again and ripped his dagger from the deceased walker's head, placing it safely back into his pocket. 

"'Right, we better get back." Heiji left the room and led the way to the front door, freezing as he glanced out the window. "Fuck." 

"What is it?" 

"Walkers. Everywhere. Pretty much surrounding the house." Heiji groaned. "If we go now, we'll probably get killed within 5 minutes." 

Kuroba put the bundled shirt down, pulling his knife out. "Follow me," he said, "I'll show you that trick I was talking about." 

Heiji frowned, but did as he was asked. Kuroba went back into the room and knelt down, slicing his knife into the zombie's stomach. Heiji froze in shock, his stomach twisting as the rotting smell filled the room even worse than it already had. 

His eyes widened to twice their original size as Kuroba dropped the knife and pulled out the walker's internal organs, rubbing them all over his shirt. "What the—" he was cut off by the look Kuroba shot back, entirely serious. 

"If you smell like them, they usually leave you alone. So long as you _act_ dead. Any sudden, uncharacteristic moves and they'll be on you like a hawk." 

Heiji felt ready to vomit. "That's fucked," he tried to swallow his disgust back down as he stared. 

"Keh. So's the world." 

Kuroba stood and walked over, calmly smearing blood across Heiji's shirt. 

"God. I can't believe this..." Heiji stood frozen to his place, averting his eyes. It was a smart idea, in truth, but that didn't mean he had to like it. He didn't want to see himself right now, not covered in another... former human's blood. Hell, if Kazuha saw him now... 

"How are ya so calm about this?" Heiji asked, grimacing as he pointedly stared at the wall, hands curling into fists as he stiffly tried to ignore the damp fluid clinging to him. 

"You get used to it. We all do whatever we can to stay alive, right?" 

Heiji frowned, nodding grimly. 

Once Kuroba was satisfied they were sufficiently covered, they snuck out the front door and ambled calmly— well, as calmly as they could— into the horde. 

Heiji tried with great difficulty to avoid looking at the zombies around them, forcing himself to keep his eyes on Kuroba. It was hard to imagine how the man managed to remain so relaxed in the middle of monsters who could slaughter him in mere moments. 

But then, he supposed everyone had their own talents. Perhaps his was hiding his true feelings. 

He found himself holding his breath as they reached the end of the masses of rotting flesh, his muscles tensing as his mind screamed at him to run, to put as much distance between himself and the walkers as possible. 

Kuroba seemed to notice, as he turned slightly to shoot a warning glare at Heiji. He kept silent, but Heiji guessed that look meant _calm down or you'll get us killed_. Easier said than done. 

His heartbeat didn't slow down until they were out of sight of the zombies, and in truth he was amazed they hadn't heard it. 

"Thank you." Kuroba broke the silence. 

"For what?" 

"For coming after me. If you hadn't, I'd probably have died there." 

Heiji sighed. "And if it weren't for ya, I'd be dead by now as well. 'Sides, I doubt neechan— Ran-chan— intends to let ya leave— yer pretty much one of us." _Whether I like it or not,_ Heiji added on silently. 

Kuroba gave him a small smile. 

 

When they finally arrived back to their camp, Aoko was sitting at the table. Her head whipped up the moment she heard them and she jolted from her seat, throwing herself onto Kuroba. 

"Kaito!" She cried, clutching onto him. "You're back, thank god," She sobbed, "You're really back." 

Kuroba's face reddened slightly before he awkwardly wrapped his arms around her back. "Of course, Aoko," he murmured. 

Heiji looked away from the exchange. It felt too private to be listening into. 

"Hattori, you're back." Ah, Kudo. A welcome distraction. 

"Yup. Finally got a sword," Heiji grinned, unsheathing the blade slightly to show it off. "Got a gun, too. 'N' he's got some other stuff," he gestured over to Kuroba, "but he's a bit... tied up at the moment." 

Kudo gave a sigh of relief. "At least she'll calm down now." 

Heiji blinked. "Ya mean Aoko-san?" 

"No," Kudo snorted, "I mean—" 

"Heiji!" An angry yell cut off Kudo's sentence. 

_Ah._

"How _dare_ ya!" She snarled, her voice shaking in rage. "How dare ya leave without even talking to me!" 

"Kazuha—" 

"What if you _died_?!" Kazuha cried, bitter tears welling up in her eyes. "I wouldn't have even gotten to say _goodbye_! " 

Heiji looked awkwardly at Kazuha, nervously glancing at Kudo for support. 

"… I'll leave you guys alone." Kudo said simply, turning and heading back inside. 

Damned Kudo. 

He looked back to Kazuha. She was biting her lip, her fingers curled into a fist— she looked absolutely _pissed_ at him. 

"Kazuha..." Heiji paused— he wanted to argue back, but she looked so upset. He could only imagine how she had felt, how he would have felt if _she_ had done the same thing. "… I'm sorry." 

She was silent for a moment. Her anger faded away to sorrow as she finally allowed the tears to spill from her eyes. 

"Heiji," she sobbed, "don't leave without telling me again. Please..." 

Heiji looked away. "I won't," he promised. 

There was no hug, no loving reunion. It wasn't their way. Affections were something shared in quiet moments, kept between them in the privacy of their room. 

Something never brought up again, afterwards. It didn't need to be said. 

"Ah, Kuroba-kun, you're back!" Ran called out. 

Kuroba and Aoko broke apart, their faces tinted red. 

"Hattori, where should I put these?" Kuroba held up the bundled stash of items questioningly. 

"Ah, over on the table." Heiji replied, removing the sword from against his side and propping it up against a wall. 

Kuroba headed over to the table, Aoko nervously trailing after him. 

As he placed the bundle on the table, Kudo perked up and walked over. "Good, a multi-tool. That'll be of use." 

Kuroba stood up a bit straighter and glanced at Aoko. 

Kudo picked up the gun and turned it over in his hand. "Kuroba, can you fire a gun?" 

Kuroba nodded. "I can. Got some, ah, experience in shooting." He looked a little guilty as he finished speaking, Heiji noticed, and Aoko frowned and looked away. 

Kudo narrowed his eyes slightly scrutinizingly, staring into Kuroba's eyes searchingly. After a few moments, he held the gun out to Kuroba. "You keep it, then." He stated simply. 

Heiji's eyes widened. "What?!" He snapped, stomping toward them. "You can't be serious!" 

"I'm completely serious," Kudo replied calmly. "After all, I'd rather another man armed who knows his way around a gun rather than someone still unused to using firearms." 

"What about you?" Kudo continued, changing the subject before Heiji could argue further. "Nakamori-san, can you fight?" 

Aoko looked nervous at the sudden question. 

"She can wield a mop pretty well," Kuroba snorted teasingly. 

"Kaito!" Aoko hissed. "I... I've never used an actual weapon," she admitted. 

"That's okay," Kudo smiled kindly, "You can learn." 

"Yer gonna be responsible for her until then, Kuroba." Heiji grumbled begrudgingly. He didn't particularly have anything against Kuroba, nor Aoko for that matter. 

… Really, he was just... well, concerned for Kazuha's safety. 

Not that he'd ever admit that. Besides, strangers simply couldn't be trusted, and he was more than a little annoyed that Kudo was so readily accepting. Honestly, he wouldn't be surprised if it got him killed someday. 

Kuroba didn't seem at all worried, however. "No worries." 

 

It was decided that night that the newcomers would share a room with Kudo and Ran. Mostly because Heiji was absolutely determined not to completely trust them. And, well, Kudo didn't seem too phased by giving up his bed to them. 

Kuroba and Aoko, however, were more than a little flustered by the arrangements. An argument had started, and Heiji tried his hardest to block it out. 

Eventually, they'd given in after Heiji got sick of listening to it— not that he had any right to complain, Kuro had pointed out— and offered that they _both_ sleep on the floor if they were that concerned. 

Though, even once they had gone to bed, Heiji was wide awake. 

He stared silently up at the roof, his hands propping his head up. Beside him, he heard the sheets rustle and faintly saw a dark figure sit up on the bed aside his. "Can't sleep?" He asked softly. 

"… Mm." Kazuha replied after a moments pause, allowing a sigh to escape her lips. "You're really there, right?" 

Heiji leaned over and flicked the desk lamp beside his bed on, frowning at her as the dim light lit up his face. "Yeah." 

She silently reached her hand out, reaching across the gap in the room. 

He stared for a minute, his eyes slowly flicking up to meet her gaze, but she betrayed no emotion. 

Eventually, he moved his hand out to meet hers, fingers curling around each other with such gentleness as though they were touching something fragile. 

He didn't know how long they stayed like that before sleep overcame him. 

 

When Heiji rose, he wasn't surprised at the stiffness of his body. He carefully pulled Kazuha's arm beside her, staring down at her sleeping form. She lay on her back, one arm across her stomach and her lips parted ever so slightly. 

An anger swelled up inside him. She looked so peaceful as she slept, and it wasn't at all fair that she should have to wake to the cruel world before them. 

As he tried to untangle their fingers, she stirred and tightened her grip. 

"Heiji...?" She mumbled. 

"Y-yeah..." Heiji replied, his ears heating up as he realized that, yes, he was indeed standing over Kazuha in her bed whilst shirtless. "So... ya gonna let go anytime soon?" He nodded towards their linked hands. 

"Huh?" Kazuha's gaze dropped to their hands. "Oh!" 

For a moment, he expected her to get embarrassed and let him go. But instead, she rolled over, dragging him with her. 

"Ow, Kazuha, what are ya— ow!" He cried out as she held his arm tightly against her. "That hurts!" 

"Good. Ya won't go off an' do something stupid if yer arm's hurt." Kazuha grumbled. 

"What if I let ya come with me?" Heiji sighed irritably. 

The grip on his arm slowly loosened. "We have a deal." 

 

"So, Kazuha, what d'ya think of the newbies?" Heiji asked as he shut the front door of the worn out house they'd ventured into. 

"They seem a'ight," she shrugged. "I mean, they slept in the same room as Kudo-kun and Ran-chan. Nothing happened, 'nd our supplies are intact." 

"Yer too trusting, y'know that?" 

"And yer too quick to judge." Kazuha retorted, before flinching as the door creaked behind them. She knelt down, hiding behind the kitchen counter. Heiji dropped down behind the couch. 

Boots creaked against the floor, heavy footsteps approaching. Heiji crept around to the side of the couch, peeking out from the corner. The stranger was a man. He was dressed in dark clothing and carried a small bag over his back. 

Kazuha was backing up nervously, and he could see her shaking. Her back hit the cupboard with a thump and Heiji cringed. 

"Who's 'ere?" The man's voice called out. Heiji's eyes widened as he spotted the gun in the man's hand. 

"Ain't we in luck?" The deep voice sneered as he rounded the kitchen corner, eyeing Kazuha. "Stand up, 'n' drop yer weapons." 

Kazuha shakily rose to her feet and dropped the knife she had been clutching. 

The man held the gun up, keeping it pointed at her head. "Right, girlie, what say ya come quietly with me? Might even let ya live... maybe." 

Heiji's eyes narrowed at the tone of the man's voice. He unsheathed his sword, rushing toward the man with a cry of rage. 

At the noise, the man whipped around and pulled the trigger. A bullet shot into Heiji's left shoulder, and he stumbled to the ground with a groan, the sword clattering against the floor. 

Kazuha took this chance to flip the man over, ripping the gun from his grasp and aiming it down at him with a look that could kill. 

"Get the fuck outta 'ere," she snarled bitterly, her finger resting threateningly on the trigger. "And leave your bag." 

The man dropped the bag hurriedly and scrambled back, but Kazuha kept her aim firmly on him until he was entirely out of sight. Letting out a deep breath, she let the gun fall to the ground. 

"Heiji," she whispered shakily, collapsing to the ground beside him and pulling him up into her lap. "Heiji, please be okay," her voice was barely above a whisper. 

"I'm fine," Heiji replied stiffly, gritting his teeth against the pain. He forced himself to sit up, grunting in pain as he tried to move his left arm. "Fuck. What's in his bag?" 

Kazuha turned around, pulling the bag over by its strap. Heiji leaned over, struggling to unzip it with one hand, so she took over. 

He reached into the bag, his hand closing around something cold. His eyebrows furrowed as he pulled it out, his eyes widening as he realized what it was. 

"A phone?" Kazuha blinked. 

Heiji tapped the power button, the screen lighting up. "Fuck, Kazuha, ya ain't gonna believe this..." 

"What is it?" 

"It's got an internet connection."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, I'm sorry this took so long! I lost writing muse for a long while.
> 
> Not as much happens this chapter really, but I have a lot in mind for next chapter and I needed to set it up. I still have a lot of ideas in mind, and I really enjoy writing this fic!
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy!


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